Adam Sessler on Game Reviews, New Games Media, and X-Play

On this week's episode, former co-host of G4’s X-Play and the current president of TheoryHead, Adam Sessler, joins host Josiah Renaudin to talk about the new games media landscape. They cover modern game reviews, how we talk about games, the importance of sites like Waypoint, how X-Play was done from episode to episode, the brilliance of Horizon: Zero Dawn's design, and what Adam's up to now.

[badboyz09]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[MONOLITHICIDE]

i prefer extended play and tech tv haha.

[Fullmetalevolust]

Aw, I miss the guy, and Morgan.

[OldGuyStillGaming]

F this clown
He ruined God of War Acension because he's easily offended and sucked at playing it so they had to dumb it down for his sappy ass.

[TheUndertaker85]

Uh...

Sony Santa Monica develops the game while Sony publishes.

If it was dumbed down it was by those two parties. Stating that they changed the game due to one individual is asinine as either

1) Sony Santa Monica and Sony then gave into the supposed demands of one individual and altered the game
2) Sony Santa Monica and Sony dumbed down the game based on their own opinion
Or 3) Sony Santa Monica and Sony wanted to push multiplayer with God of War Ascension then dumbed down the game to get individuals into the multiplayer with the micro transactions they introduced with the same title.

Either way it didn't come down to Sessler. He wasn't directly creating the game, publishing the game, or even involved outside of critique.🙂

[Lionheart377]

That's not how video game development works, dude.

[Fullmetalevolust]

I don't think his sphere of influence can impact a game and its development. However, he has made some statements I do not agree with but it doesn't take away that Xplay was fun to watch. They'd both shit on JRPG's almost every time and I'd shrug and still play them, lol.

[dirkdady]

Actually if Adam did a mock review for Sony it could have heavily influenced aspects of the game.

Mock review for those that don't know is when a publisher hires a game critic to do a mock review for internal use/feedback only. It gives them a sense for how it will review upon release.

[TheUndertaker85]

@dirkdady: For them to want a mock review they'd had to have doubts with the product. Further for them to change aspects of the game comes down to Sony & Sony Santa Monica. They wouldn't do so unless they thought the feedback was valid.

Even still Sony & Sony Santa Monica would be involved in a green light. Not Sessler, again.

[rainslacker]

Huh? Only thing I recall getting changed because of him was the name of a trophy.

Hardly something that would ruin the game as a whole. They didn't even remove the trophy....just renamed it.

[Pantz]

Hope they are together at E3 again. It warms my heart.

[TheOttomatic91]

I've never been a personal fan of Adam Sessler but hearing his insights about game industry (or specifically in being a gaming journalist) is quite interesting.

[medman]

X-play and Aots all day every day.

[fenome]

I used to watch both those shows all the freaking time. I lost a lot of respect for Sessler after some of his ridiculous rants though. God Of War was the first wtf seriously moment, and then the whole backing out of the industry because of the share button thing was just the icing on the cake.

[OoglyBoogly]

His review of Bioshock Infinite did it for me. He talked about that mediocre game play experience like it was the greatest game he had ever played. Didn't make sense to me honestly.

[TheUndertaker85]

@OoglyBoogly: Yes, god forbid someone enjoys Bioshock while you don't.

[fenome]

He literally just started contradicting himself and having little meltdowns toward the end, it would almost be funny if it wasn't kind of sad. Like I said, I used to watch X-Play all the time back in the day.

I'd post links just to show you what I'm talking about but my phone is ghetto and it's not worth the effort. Just look it up, it's not hard to find, he started slipping bad.

[rainslacker]

I lost complete respect for him the day he was at some E3 post conference show completely drunk off his ass, barely coherent, and just cynical as all hell. Claimed he had a cold, and was on cold medicine, even though he was fine early that day, and the next day seemed like he was not sick at all.

I've only enjoyed about half of the content he ever was a part of, and I did enjoy when he did interviews, because he was always fair, and even pushed hard on some questions at times, but his reviews either seemed shilled or extremely biased.

After that though he just started thinking his own opinion on how the industry should behave made him intolerable. Particularly his rant about not getting free stuff from the console markers. It's like the guy went off his meds, and all you ended up seeing what the bat-sh*t crazy side that just makes you uncomfortable to watch or be around.

[Segata]

Aos was trash. Screen Savers was better. Extended Play stomps X-plays crappy skits with interns and lame jokes.

[BadElf]

Miss the G4 days. Classic Highschool gaming times!
Aots and X-Play days...not the early 2000 ish

[captainexplosion]

Kristen, the dark haired girl on X Play, was so damn hot. Wonder what happened to her.

[Retroman]

Kevin,Kevin ,Kevin ,Kevin ....... Bring back Olivia munn too. AOTS G4TV

[Goldby]

We do need another McHammer moment

[Segata]

Extended Play was miles better than X-play. Kate Botello may not been that great looking but she was a better co host. Morgan was better when she was teaching about Linux on TSS. G4 was a huge POS covered in pig vomit. Glad G4 is gone.

[Segata]

lol at the downvotes. Well you watched G4 so don't expect you to know what a good show is.

[psuedo]

I love x play. Its special in a certain way, because I could only ever watch it when I went to my grandmas which was in a different state, but did I watch it. Finally our network got the channel, but they soon changed over to the bs they did.

[TheVigilanteCode]

Last I saw this dude in news was for that Friday The 13th video game kickstarter he was promoting. Anyone know what happened to that project?

[obidanshinobi]

Google - Adam Sessler cocaine
:D

[rainslacker]

why google....every time he was on screen he looked like he was hopped up on cocaine.

[andrewsquall]

WOW, forgot all about this guy. All he is known as to me is the guy who said "1080p is the standard this gen" around summer 2013 and then after the 720p Xbone reveal in Oct 2013 he became a "resolution doesn't matter" warrior.
It was easy to see where his bias sat.

[freshslicepizza]

Don't worry, we are about to be hit with a huge wave of people that will quickly say 4K doesn't matter now, along with power. He was spot on about fantatics though and how obsessive gamers are over their plastic toys.

[slate91]

You spew this as if Sony shits out 1080p games on the vanilla ps4 every time lol.

[Orionsangel]

I have G4TV's coverage of E3 2005 recorded. I can't believe it was 12 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[MilkMan]

Adam come back man! The industry needs you now more than ever.

[rainslacker]

When did the industry ever need him? What exactly has he contributed to the industry? He's a journalist who shills for the publishers. The industry has plenty of that without needing him.

[LordJamar]

the legend the man the master returns

[OldGuyStillGaming]

Needed more Layla Kayleigh
Less Adam Sessler